The Distance Between Us (Lie Ren x Reader)
by InfiniteWordForge
Summary: You had your suspicions from the first time he walked into the little cafe you worked. You had your suspicions about these feelings that fluttered in your chest as you delivered his drink to his table and those bright eyes found yours. You weren't sure if what you were feeling was love or not but you knew you had feelings for him. For Lie Ren.


You had your suspicions from the first time he walked into the little cafe you worked. You had your suspicions about these feelings that fluttered in your chest as you delivered his drink to his table and those bright eyes found yours. You had your suspicions confirmed as he came back time and again, as you spent more time with him and as his smile became burned into your memory.

You weren't sure if what you were feeling was love or not but you knew you had feelings for him. For Lie Ren.

* * *

The bell over the door signaled someone entering the cafe and just by glancing at the clock you knew it was him before you even saw. You exited the kitchen as Ren walked passed the front counter, dressed in his school uniform. He smiled when he saw you and you greeted him warmly, more so than any other customer.

Ren took his seat at his usual table by the window as you began preparing his drink behind the counter. He rarely ordered anything different, making it so he never had to place an actual order. It made you feel close to him somehow but you knew it was a pretty simple thing and after the amount of time he spent here it was a no brainer.

He had been frequenting this little cafe for over three months now, he came here on his breaks and his days off. He said it was to get away from the noise of the school and this quiet hideaway was the perfect place for him to relax. He sometimes brought school work with him though he never got anything done, he always talked with you and the fact he would ignore his work just to socialize with you and you alone made you grin like a fool.

You set his drink on your tray and walk out to his table, you were no longer nervous as you approached him. You used to put so much effort into walking normally that you would trip over your own two feet, but now you could act normal around him.

He looked up at you as you set his cup before him, his eyes catching yours as a small smile played out on his lips. "Thank you." He said, ever polite.

"Don't mention it." You reply, straightening and lowering the tray to hold it in both hands before you. "Done with classes for the day, then?"

He nodded. "Things are starting to slow down now that the first semester is almost over."

"Then I suppose I'll see you in here more often then." You say, jokingly.

"You will."

You didn't know if he was teasing you right back or if he was being serious. Either way it made you happy. This was the extent of your relationship with Ren, as customer and waitress. You told yourself you were happy with the way things were, that this was enough but another part of your wanted more. You sometimes caught yourself fantasizing about being an actual couple and doing things together as normal couples would.

It was in moments like those that you remembered; he was a hunter. His 'normal' was like a fantasy to you, something that would never be normal to you. Those thoughts always played around at the back of your mind and you made yourself believe that you had no place in his world.

"Are you alright?"

His voice snapped you back to reality, you hadn't even realized that you spaced off. In the past you would have died of embarrassment to have been standing there like a fool but now you just brushed it off.

"Yeah." You replied. "Sorry, I was spacing out a bit."

"Everything alright." He asked, setting down his cup. "You looked a little tired. Are you getting enough sleep?"

You laugh light heartedly. "Probably not." You lie. "I've been staying up late recently."

"You should take care." He said. "Exhaustion can cause sickness."

"You're right. I'll be sure to get to bed sooner from now on. Sorry to bother you with this."

"You don't need to apologize." He chuckled. "But I was wondering, are you free this weekend?"

"This weekend?" You echo. "I have it off for a change so, yeah."

"Then, if it's no trouble for you that is, I have some things to do here in town this weekend, would you mind coming along?"

It suddenly hit you, even though he was speaking quite openly yet was still fairly fidgety, he was asking you out. Your heart suddenly sped up and your mind began to race, this was something you had fantasized about but never thought it would actually happen. Yet it was, right now.

"Yeah, this weekend?" You fumbled over your words. "Yeah, I can do that."

A look of what you believed to be relief faintly appeared on his face. "Great." He said. "Shall I meet you here at, say, ten in the morning?"

You nod, probably a bit more vigorously than you intended. "That's fine by me."

"Great." He said again.

The remainder of Ren's stay was relaxed, it looked to you like a weight had been removed form his shoulders. That in itself gave you some relief, showing you that even he got nervous about this kind of stuff. Before long, more customers began appearing and diverging your attention from him. It was frustrating that, today of all days, people would have to show up in such number. Yet you worked hard even as Ren finished his drink, giving you a wave as he left.

You found yourself wishing the day would end quickly and the weekend would come. You had just one more day to get through but even that may feel like torture.

* * *

Only one day stood between you and the weekend, excitement kept you up most of the night and this morning seemed to drag. You tried to keep yourself busy with cleaning and any other odd job you could think of as the regular afternoon lull set in. You found yourself in the back room, broom in hand, an ear trained for the door and your mind miles away.

Your thoughts, of course, went to Ren, wondering more on what his life was like. Hunter and huntresses were tasked with fighting monsters, keeping mankind safe from the Grimm. That was something you could never do. You paused during your work, holding the broom before you in one hand. What kind of weapon does Ren use, you wondered.

Clumsily reversing your grip on it's handle you tuck the broom under your arm with the bristles pointing downward. Maybe he used something graceful like a spear. You gave it a swing and a thrust, careful of the wood for fear of splinters. Turning on your heel you bring your imaginary weapon around in a two-handed thrust, the bristles brushing your bosses stomach as he stood behind you.

"What're you doing." He asked with a mixture of entertainment and perplexity.

You froze where you were, your ears turning red with embarrassment, quickly fumbling with the broom and returning it to the floor. "Nothing." You answer hurriedly.

The boss shook his head with an amused smile. "You're that excited for your date tomorrow, huh? Well, not that I can blame you."

A new wave of embarrassment washed over you. "How do you know about that?"

"Come now, I saw that coming a mile away, although it took longer than I anticipated." He answered. "You two would make a great couple."

You felt as if your head was about to explode after hearing that yet you looked down as you tried to hide your smile. But just as quickly as it came it passed as other thoughts filled your head. Something that had been troubling you since you decided that you liked Ren.

"I'm a little nervous." You say.

"I can imagine, but it's understandable."

"No, not about tomorrow." You add quickly. "He's a hunter. He's been to combat school, he's trained to fight monsters for probably years now, right? I feel like there's such a gap between us. I'm normal and he's, well, him."

A pair of heavy hands lightly slapped your shoulders, bringing your attention back to your boss. "Don't worry about it." He said. "He may be a hunter and he may come from a different walk of life but he's still human. Don't worry about the little details and everything will be fine."

You smile at the taller man. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

With a smile he turned and went for the door."There's not much to do here today," he said, "so once you're done with the cleaning you can go on home. You've got some preparing to do."

* * *

You left your house early, hoping to make it to the cafe before Ren showed up and with an hour head start on your side you felt you were in the clear. By the time the cafe came into view you saw him standing outside by the street, leaning against the railing that blocked off the patio. He looked up as if on cue as you approached, giving you that small smile you knew too well.

"You're early." He said, glancing at the watch under his sleeve.

"I could say the same to you." You say, stopping before him. "I was sure I would get here first."

"I couldn't make a lady wait on me, now could I?"

You giggle. "Well I hope I didn't make you wait instead."

He left the railing. "I just got here a few minutes ago."

You saw his eyes move, looking you over. You decided to wear a denim jacket today along with a skirt even though it wasn't really your thing. With a pair of new shoes and a purse you borrowed from a friend you hoped it didn't look like you were trying too hard.

"You look nice."

You screamed internally out of happiness as you bashfully thanked him. You reached up and unconsciously played with a lock of hair, once again hoping it looked alright.

"Shall we?" Ren asked.

You nod. "Sure." You fell into stride, walking down the side walk side by side. "So where do you need to go?" You ask.

"Just a few places." Came the vague answer. "But if we get sidetracked along the way then that's fine."

You glanced up at him out the corner of your eye; he was still smiling. You began to wonder if the whole thing about 'errands' wasn't really true. It made you think that Ren was much more shy than he let on and somehow it made you feel a little better. The boss was right, Ren may be a hunter but he was still human. He wasn't that much different than you.

You spent the better part of the day wandering around town, visiting numerous shops that interested yourself of him and even venturing into a few places neither of you had been. He took you around the shore line, watching the boats and ships sail by as the two of you sat in a small restaurant that served some of your favorites pasta dishes and you learned Ren wasn't a fan of shellfish.

After lunch you went to the park where you found yourself seated awfully close to him on a bench that happened to be broken on one end. It felt like some kind of conspiracy, albeit one you wish you were a part of and Ren didn't seem to mind in the least. You both sat there, quietly watching the world around you as a cool breeze blew over you. This wasn't an awkward silence, it was a natural calm that filled you ease and judging by the look on Ren's face he was feeling much the same.

"Say," Ren broke the silence, "There's a dance at Beacon the end of next week." He said, keeping his eyes forward and you could have sworn you heard his heart beat. "Would you go with me?"

You looked up at him. "But, I'm not a student."

"That's fine." He replied hastily. "I asked one of the professors and they said students could bring a date from outside the school."

You realized how much planning he put into this and all so that he may ask you to this dance. Surely there were other girls at Beacon, several for that matter, that were more outgoing and closer to him as a huntress. Yet still, here he was asking you and your thoughts soared.

You looked down, his hand rested on the bench between you. You're face flushed and you couldn't believe what you were about to do but you placed your hand on his and you felt him jump slightly. Looking up you found those bright eyes looking down into yours and an almost nervous grin on his face.

"I'll go." You say. "I would love to."

* * *

Blue; you felt it was a modest color even as the dress itself showed off your shoulders. You tie your hair up into as nice of a braid you can muster with just your mirror to aid you. The bulk of this past week was spent with you running from one store to the next, trying to find the dress you liked the most and you finally decided on this one.

Taking the whole day off from work was one of your better idea, you had spent the better part of the day just getting ready. Retrieving a light blue shawl you drape it over your shoulders and slip into your shoes, a pair of dress shoes that not only looked nice but were devoid of any real heel.

Your parents had mixed feelings about you going, your mother was excited to say the least while your father seemed to be a lot less enthusiastic. Yet despite that he still drove you to the airship that would take you the rest of the way to Beacon.

Leaving the car upon arrival your father told you to be careful and all the other parent-like things before finally letting you board the ship. At first you were worried that you would be the only one on board but to your relief there were other boys and girls your age and similarly dressed in formal attire. You were able to talk to a couple of other girls that distracted you from the flight.

When you finally exited the ship you found yourself standing before a long road lined with lamps flooding the area around them with pale light. Then, beyond the path and towering above everything, was Beacon itself, glowing with brilliant emerald light. It was your first time seeing it this close and the sight left you frozen where you stood as the other passengers walked around you.

"Welcome to Beacon."

Dropping your gaze you find Ren standing further down the path dressed in a black tuxedo with a jade green tie and vest. You couldn't help but notice that some of the other passengers turned to look at him as they walked by and you felt a sense of pride that he was here for you alone. Remembering your ability to walk you made your way towards him, he was always handsome but tonight he looked like someone out of a romance novel, as cheesy as that may sound.

He looked you in the eyes. "You look beautiful." He said.

You drop your gaze unconsciously, stopping before him. "Thank you." You say, smiling from ear to ear. "That tux suits you."

"Pun intended?" Ren asked.

You laughed at him. "Absolutely."

He laughed with you a moment before, this interaction was a little different than your usual. You began feeling the two of you were an actual couple but you quickly pushed the thought away as if it would bring bad luck. You watched as Ren offered you his arm, it was an old fashioned gesture but one that felt perfect for him.

You placed your hand on his arm, stealing a look at the light smile he wore as he escorted you into the school. It was a rather extravagant set up, Beacon's inner workings looked nothing like a school with brightly colored banners hanging from the walls and all manner of decorations lining the hallways. There were braided ropes dangling between brass poles that barricaded areas off limits at this time and the faint sound of music echoed around them and the other attendants.

"It's not always like this, of course." Ren said, snagging your attention. "I was surprised at how quickly my school turned into a ballroom over night."

You admire the arched hall. "It feels like I've walked into a fairy tale."

"That's pretty accurate, isn't it?" Ren smiled to you. "Well then, you'll like where we're headed."

You looked up at him curiously as he guided you around a corner and light flooded over a pair of tall doors you step into Beacon's main hall; a chandelier hung from the ceiling and rivers of deep red cloth dotted the walls and bordered the windows and ivory table clothes covered the round tables on the outer rim of the great room, each adorned with the gentle light of a candle.

Boys and girls in formal attire filled the room, standing by or sitting at the tables or dancing on the wide open floor while music surrounded them. It was an almost unreal scene and you felt a wave of excitement rush through your body while a broad smile crossed your lips.

"Wow." You gaped, stopping by the entrance. "This is amazing."

Ren chuckled. "Again, imagine my surprise seeing this one morning." He lowered his arm. "There's a makeshift coat room," he said, "Shall I take your shawl for you?"

You nod to him. "Yes please, thank you."

Taking this as a chance, if one could call it that, you turned your back to him, pulling your hair over your shoulder. Ren quickly caught and and with careful hands he removed the garment drawing a smile from you.

"I'll wait for you over there." You say to him, pointing to an open table.

"Right." Ren replied. "I'll be right back."

You noticed the hastened stride he walked away with, he was certainly a gentleman you thought. Making your way over to the table your path was suddenly obstructed by a girl with red hair in a pink and white dress wearing a beaming smile on her face.

"Found ya!" She exclaimed and before you could react she was beside you, arm locked around yours and waving a hand excitedly at someone across the room. "Jaune! Pyrrha! I found her, I found Ren's girlfriend!"

"What now?" You ask, more than a little surprised by her near bursting excitement level and you face flushing from what she had just shouted for everyone to hear.

"Nora, let her go and behave yourself. You're scaring her."

You follow the sound of that voice to see a girl with long red hair in a deep red dress approaching you with a blond boy wearing a tuxedo and a blue tie at her side. The first girl gives a disappointed moan and reluctantly releases you yet doesn't stray too far.

"It's nice to meet you." The red headed girl says. "My name is Pyrrha." She motions to the boy beside her. "This is Jaune and you've already met Nora."

"It's nice to meet you too." You say and go on to introducing yourself.

"So you're here with Ren?" Jaune asked. "He told us he was bringing someone from outside of school."

"Jaune didn't believe you existed." Nora teased.  
"I did too." The boy shot back. "It's just that Ren doesn't talk about this sort of stuff with us."

"He's surprisingly secretive." Pyrrha added. "So we just had to meet you ourselves."

You notice Ren approaching out of the corner of your eye and turn to him. "I see they found you." He said.

"We weren't sure if you were going to show off your new girlfriend to us or not." Nora said. "So we had to find her ourselves."

"I fully intended on introducing you." Ren replied and you noticed how he didn't argue with the 'girlfriend' remark. "It's not like I was going to hide her all night."

"Well we've met her," Pyrrha began, "And it seems this crowd has gotten a little too big."

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, we'll see you around later but for now please enjoy yourself."

"Oh, Jaune, you're such a good host." Nora quipped.

"It was nice meeting you all." You say politely.

"You too." Pyrrha answered.

Nora clamped down on your arm and pulled you towards her. "It was nice to meet ya!" She then lowered her voice. "Take care of Ren, okay?"

She releases you and skips along, following the other two as they left. You weren't sure but if felt like they more or less accepted you.

"Sorry about that." Ren apologized. "Nora's a little... energetic at times." He paused. "All the time."

You chuckle. "I don't mind. They seem like good friends."

"They're yours now too." Ren said and you looked at him inquisitively. "That's the kind of people they are."

The music came to and end and you noticed people moving out to the dance floor. More than that you noticed they were all couples. You accepted Ren's invitation knowing full well it was a school dance but you never really thought about the actual dancing part.

"Care to dance?" He asked you.

"I don't know." You fumble over your words, looking out at the dance floor while stroking at a loch of your hair. "I'm not that great at dancing."

"Nor am I." He replied. "Will you dance with me anyway?"

You look to him to see a warm smile and a hand extended towards you. He seemed a little more bold tonight. You looked into his eyes and caught a glimpse of something and you realized he was a little nervous as well. You smiled at him, deciding that you should be more bold tonight as well. So you reached out and took his hand.

"Sure." You say, bringing a new light to his eyes.

With your hand simply resting atop his, Ren led you out onto the dance floor as the next song began. A slow and easy rhythm filled the air as he turned to face you and, somewhat nervously, drew you closer. You reached up and put a hand on his shoulder while the other remained in his and his free hand came to rest on your waist. Your eyes were glue onto his as if hypnotized and you prayed you wouldn't mess up.

With a soft stride Ren guided you into motion, steadily moving with precise, almost measured, steps. Your heartbeat calmed down as the presence of everyone else vanished from your mind and the two of you were all that was left. You easily fall into step with him, following his lead as you continued to sway and turn with the music.

Neither of you spoke a word, you stared into him and he looked right back, drunk on the moment. The music began to slow and you did as well, drawing nearer to Ren as the end of the song approached. You felt his arms pulling you closer as he lowered your hand, still clutched gently in his own. You were standing so close to him and when he slowly lowered his head toward you it was undeniable what was about to come next and your heart jumped. Closing your eyes you waited for him, for what you hadn't dared let yourself dream for fear of it never coming true.

But as the moment dragged on you found yourself waiting still and you opened your eyes. Ren had stopped completely along with the music, his eyes off towards the windows with a serious expression you had never seen before.

"Ren," you say, "Is something wrong?"

With a blur of movement Ren swung you around, putting himself between you and the sudden explosion of glass and fire ripped through the hall. Panicked scream filled the air and out of the corner of your eye you saw men in suits, weapons in hand, rushing in from both the now 'open' window and the main entrance as well.

"Everyone down on the ground! Now!"

Gunfire filled your ears followed by a new wave of screams, your legs went numb and you fell from shock alone. Ren quickly guided you to the floor as your grip on him tightened, unable to comprehend what had just happened. You saw Ren look about him as a man with a rifle came into view, pointing the muzzle at him and shouting something you couldn't make out.

Ren pulled you to your feet and off to the side of the room where the others were being gathered. You managed to pull your wits together as you sat down among the the crowd of people and Ren sat down beside you, hands behind his head.

"Who are these people?" You ask, you voice barely above a whisper.

"Torchwick Gang." Ren replied, his eyes moving from one thug to the next. "We've had troubles with them not too long ago"

"You sure about this?" You and Ren look to where two of the thugs stood, one facing away from the crowd and the other standing by his side with a concerned look on his face. "The boss isn't going to like us going off on our own."

"Forget Roman." The other man said. "Once we show that woman we're the guys with the results she'll drop his sorry hide and we'll be the good fellas from now on." He turned to the crowd. "We take out the biggest potential headache and we'll be made."

"Then shouldn't we have just done 'em and got it over with? Why take hostages?"

"You've no flair for the dramatic." The first man turned on his companion. "We got to make sure the media sees this, once they got cameras on us we grease every last one of them and show Vale just who's in charge."

Your mind began to race. They intended to kill everyone here, everyone including you. Panic gripped at your chest and your breathing began to quicken. What were you going to do? You had to get out of here somehow but if you made a break for it wouldn't they just shoot you as you ran? How far would you get before they got you?

A hand on your shoulder gave you pause and you looked to Ren who gave you a reassuring grin. "Don't worry." He said. "I'll protect you."

You began to calm down slightly. "But you're outnumbered." You said. "They'll kill you." You reached over and grabbed his sleeve. "You can't-"

"Don't worry." He said again, his eyes trailing upward. "They didn't get all of us."

You pause, following his gaze you look upward towards the chandelier where you glimpse a figure standing atop it. Then with a whirl it vanished and something began to flutter down upon everyone below. A sudden calm fell over the crowd around you, looking around you saw the faces of the Beacon students devoid of fear or worry.

Something brushed against your shoulder making you turn where you sat. Beside you, a bright contrast against the floor, was a rose petal. As you looked at it with perplexity a loud crash broke the silence, you jerked your gaze upright as you saw a figure in red standing by a collapsed table and one of the men laying atop it. Shouts came from the other thugs along with sharp sound like gunfire and another man sailed through the air with flames licking at his clothes.

Your hand jerked suddenly and Ren entered your field of vision, running at a dead sprint towards the two men who were talking. You saw him flick his arms out to the sides and a pair of weapons appeared in his hands, pistols with long, curving blades beneath the barrels. He was a flurry, striking the first man with a knee to the stomach and following through with a kick in mid air, sending him to the ground, while turning to the second man and twisting around and throwing his leg into a downward arc.

All around you the other Beacon students joined the fight, rising together, drawing weapons and engaging their captors. It was systematic, they all seemed to work well with one another, student relying on fellow student as the tide quickly turned in this failed attack. Despite the ensuing fight your eyes remained on Ren who all but danced around his attackers, every movement leading into another.

As you watched a pit formed in your stomach. Watching him and his companions made you feel so useless. All you could do was sit there and watch. Perhaps you really were from a different world than him.

* * *

The fight was over just as quickly as it began, the gangsters were rounded up and filed into police vehicles as several officers and Beacon staff alike walked the campus to ensure there were no others. You, along with everyone else, were made to stay in the main hall where you found yourself standing at the edge of the room. Many students were talking about the fight as if it was some kind of recreation, bragging about their form or how quickly they took one of the thugs down. They were all so strong and so different from you. You were so scared you could barely move yet they stood up and fought back.

You turned to the window behind you, looking at your reflection in the glass. You saw Ren approach you, he looked as if nothing had happened, like this was all natural. Were you two really that different?

"Sorry." He said. "The police had some questions for me." You watched him through the glass, you almost felt ashamed to look at him. "Are you alright?" He asked you, stepping up to your side. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

Glancing up at him you saw he was legitimately worried about you. He was the one who was running into a fight with men ready to kill him and here he was worrying about you.

You look away. "I'm fine." You say. Looking back at the window you look at both you and him standing side by side. You watch your reflection mimic you as you reach up and grab the end of his sleeve with your fingers. "You really are from a different world aren't you?" You ask. "You can do all these things yet I'm so normal." You watch his reflection as he looks ahead. "I feel like we're so far apart."

You feel his fingers wrap around your hand and interlock with yours. "I don't know." He said and you looked up at him as he stared ahead. "I think we're closer than you think."

You look ahead as well, staring at the reflection of you standing beside him, hand in hand. You smiled at what you saw, partially laughing at yourself as you moved closer to him and leaned your head against his shoulder.

Maybe he was right.


End file.
